Islam and modernization Eduard Ponarin The case of Tatarstan for the post-Soviet context and hypotheses for wider settings

2 Islamism and Nationalism Trying to emulate the West in A series of setbacks for Muslim countries in the mid-20 th century Post-nationalist Islamism in the second half of the 20 th century

3 Common functions Gellner: Nationalism is a civic religion Mass mobilization Legitimation Group prestige There is also a significant difference: whereas religion is universalist, nationalism tends to be particularist. This difference has serious implications.

4 Ressentiment Greenfeld: Copycat nationalism results in ressentiment towards the model society her chapter on Russia shows that the alternative model was found in the pre- petrine Russia and hence Slavophilism post-nationalist Islamism may be compared with the Russian Slavophilism

5 Preliminary conclusion Nationalism in the Muslim societies has been declining since the 1950s because it failed to achieve a single geopolitical victory vis- à-vis the West and Israel and to deliver better life to people within their countries Consequently, its place is being taken by post-nationalist Islamism

6 Hypotheses failure of nationalism in the Muslim society will generally lead to its (partial) replacement with the Islamist ideology post-nationalist Islamism will cross ethnic and national boundaries

7 Tatarstan a thoroughly secularized post-Soviet society somewhat later in terms of historical period somewhat shorter time-span If the hypothesis holds under these quite different conditions, it will provide a strong support for my model. is not just another region but

: Nationalist Victory wins various concessions from the Kremlin picks up on the neighbouring Bashkortostan uses Islam instrumentally to back up claims on authenticity, win over Tatar-language Bashkorts, and get support from the richer Muslim nations Tatar nationalist movement

: Nationalist Monarchy  Tatar nationalist movement is suppressed by the Tatar strongman Shaimiyev who becomes an absolute prince in Tatarstan.  Tatarstan continues to enjoy a high degree of autonomy from the Kremlin in the context of a weak Russian Federation.  Tatarstan's autonomy and relatively high living standards legitimate Shaimiyev's regime locally; the nationalist agenda is still on.

: The defeat revision of tax status for Tatarstan revision of Tatarstan's constitution and other laws cancellation of gubernatorial elections ability of the Federal President to disband provincial legislatures the political void created by Shaimiyev the experience of the Chechen wars No second round of the nationalist game because of

: Post-nationalist Islamism a sharp rise in the number of believers even as the number of mosques stopped growing Islamization of the nationalist opposition some militancy positive correlation of nationalism and Islamism with respect to Moscow and Russians negative correlation with respect to other Muslim peoples (such as Bashkorts)

12 Back to the world historic level obituaries to fundamentalism are premature possible melting of (some) national boundaries in the future will Islamic societies modernize? Nationalism is a civic religion......and religion is a... nationalism?